PRODUCTIONThe Shootists

AdMedia,  Aug 17, 2004  by David Gapes

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Australian production company Prodigy (www.prodigyfilms.com) has changed direction over the past three years, says executive producer Jonathan Samway. "We were very quick to build up a base in Sydney, then opened an office in Melbourne. Then, realising we were getting a lot of national work and needing diverse locations - and also having directors who wanted to work in other markets - we opened an office in Auckland."Samway says that over the past 12 months, Prodigy has completed 18 productions out of Wellington or Auckland, using both the North & South Islands as locations.

"Primarily that was not work that had to be shot there," he says, "but we saw it as a great opportunity to take work to New Zealand. There were bene-fits for everybody."The look and feel of Auckland itself was enough reason for one job - and on another job it was "just cheaper", although Samway says the driving force is generally not related to the budget.Half of the 18 jobs came from agencies out of Wellington. "We don't come over there with a whole Australian crew," he says. "We're grateful for the excellent creative work, excellent crews and great locations."Samway says that although many NZ's tvc production companies have set up offices in Australia, Prodigy is the first to "come back the other way". "We realised the benefits are there," he says. "Some things we can't service in Australia, some locations can't be found here - then you realise it's just a two-hour bus trip across the ditch. A lot of people have done it before to reach a bigger market - and it's rare for someone to go into a smaller market - but creatively New Zealand is excellent; we can't fault it."That regard for NZ creativity is a refrain that AdMedia encountered many times during a recent circuit of production houses in Sydney. Typical was Good Oil producer Matt Long (like most of the Good Oil team, a Kiwi). "Phew," he said, flicking AdMedia's What's New, "there's a lot of good work going on over there."Long says Good Oil, which picked up two Silver Lions (for director Hamish Rothwell) at this year's Cannes Ad Festival, sources much of its work from the US. "Over there, producers don't go direct to agencies, and we also don't place line- production work with American production companies. Instead, we employ professional reps who liaise with the agencies. That's just the way things work there."Ultimately, doing business this way gives us access to a wide variety of creative scripts." The shop has three directors - Rothwell, Joel Pront, and Matt Murphy. Good Oil (www.goodoilfilms.com) is currently working on a Chevrolet commercial in LA.Long was planning to attend the AXIS Awards. "It's a very good awards show ... and a really nice Kiwi do."Prodigy's hard work has also paid off internationally. Among the campaigns recognised at Cannes this year was Nick Reynolds' Yellow Pages Just Married tvc (Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland). Its pride and joy at the moment, however, is the Peugeot Toys campaign that currently graces NZ screens. Shot in Sydney, the campaign (a co-production with Wanda for Paris agency RSCG) is set in a nostalgic "toy town" and features a fleet of life-sized toy cars that break down as the new Peugeot 407 effortlessly hums past. Toys won a Gold Lion in the automotive category. Samway describes Toys as a "mammoth shoot" and says that winning a pitch for a job of that magnitude maintains his interest in working internationally.Prodigy directors, who work anywhere, are Gil Bauwens, Tina Bull, Tim Bullock, Tryan George, Nick Rafter, Nicholas Reynolds, and the Charles & Joel Show.Silverscreen, with facilities on both sides of the Tasman, is one of Australasia's biggest producers and, unlike some boutique shops, employs a wide range of directors, including Peter Burger, Adam Stevens, Geoff Dixon, Adam Strange, Nathan Price, Kevin Denholm, David Gaddie, Keir McFarlane, Robert Sarkies, Armagan Ballantyne, Luke Losey, Michael Wong, Jim Rygiel, Chris Dudman, Tracey Rowe, David Rittey, Michael Spiccia, and Gary John.At Silverscreen NZ (www.silverscreen.co.nz), executive producer Haydn Evans says a lot of Australian productions are currently being shot in NZ. "Directors, whether Aussie or Kiwi, seem to be finding it cheaper at the moment to shoot in New Zealand when they need to - it's not just location based. A lot of big Australian jobs have been post-produced in New Zealand." Evans says that Silverscreen shares resources between the two countries regularly, depending on the requirements for the job.So are there any real geographic boundaries any more? Evans says the international approach is "a growing business model for any business" and that the world is getting smaller. "People are going wherever business makes sense, whether it's New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa. Each job is unique, each job is looked at differently and there's no set process for the way you do each job."He says that although technology has made communications easier, it also presents problems by raising expectations at the client end. "People expect and demand to see something in real time - now." Although clients are told that there's a polishing and crafting exercise to go through before presentation, he says they still expect to see whatever you have.At Silverscreen Sydney (www.silverscreen.com.au), head of production Penelope Sinclair confirmed that there's a lot of crossover between NZ and Australia. But she says shooting is becoming very difficult in Sydney, due to a combination of tough city bylaws, the high numbers of shoots on Sydney streets, and penal rates for film crews, who earn double-time on Sunday shoots.She also pointed to South Africa as having appeal, despite the high crime rate. "The bottom line is that South Africa is very cheap - especially for line productions."Andrew Morris, executive producer at Luscious International (www.luscious.com.au) says they have several jobs about to go into production in NZ, and on average would make one commercial in NZ per month. "All our directors work globally," he says. "We do lots in America but not so many in Europe."On the creative level," he says, "there's quite a bit of work around. The projects are starting to become more interesting again. There's been a lot of stuff coming out of America that's just dire. Australian and New Zealand scripts are based on quite good ideas." Morris says the major percentage of their work originates from Australia and NZ.Luscious has just four directors - Rich-ard Gibson, Damien Toogood, Wez Werrin and NZ-based James Holt - and has no interest in expansion.Meanwhile back in Auckland, Flying Start's Pip Mayne says June was slow but describes the workload now as "frantically busy". "We have some nice brand work, some retail spots, lots of two and three-day shoots and 'heaps of high-definition shooting'."We have a record/playback monitor for HD," she says, "and because of that we're able to be shoot and post compatible. We can suck it in and stay in an HD environment while editing offline and then go back into the online system with our Flame."Mayne says Flying Start (www.flyingstart.co.nz) is able to be hugely competitive with shooting HD - "you usually wouldn't even look at it, it's so expensive. We can be as competitive as if we were shooting on 35mm."Mayne doesn't think that all production will swing towards the HD format in the near future, because it is still such a new medium. "There are still people who are very passionate about the film format - I love shooting food on 35mm when I can, but sometimes budgets don't allow and I have to look for another medium to shoot on."Flying Start has five directors (Jessica Justice, Rob McLaughlin, Tony Johns, Kim Gunter, and Tristan Strange), all based in Auckland, although they also work with a large roster of freelancers. The company also provides line-production services, and its Auckland complex includes a post-production facility.Haydn Evans at Silverscreen says his experience with HD is that there's more setup time because people aren't as familiar with it, and the shooting time isn't where the savings are. "I'm not doubting the quality of it; it seems to be slower - as far as process goes - to get the same desired result as you'd get on film."Andrew Morris at Luscious points out that it's the idea rather than the format that is paramount. "We're not against HD," he says, "but we just look at the scripts and the project and work out the best way with the resources available to make something the best it can be. HD is only a consideration if it's an advantage to what the end result needs to be. It's all about the work."Sydney Film Company (www.sydneyfilm.com.au) has 10 directors, three of whom are based in NZ. The roster includes Peter Cudlipp, Kim Gunter, Ray Lawrence, Diana Leach, Murray Savidan, Tony Sherwood, Paul Swadel, and Tony Williams, the near-legendary director who's shot some of NZ's most famous commercials (like Toyota Bugger, Telecom Spot, BASF Dear John, and the Crunchie Bar Great Train Robbery.Maggie Lewis, executive producer at Sydney Film Co, believes NZ is a better training ground than Australia for directors and film crews. "Their skill levels have gone up very quickly. Unlike Australia, production managers and crew in New Zealand have usually worked on feature films, which has made them better-rounded."She also doesn't have a lot of time for awards. "AXIS has too many finalists - 17 or 18 in some categories, which makes it lose credibility. And the Aussies are even worse - everybody smoking and drinking and paying no attention."What is really frustrating, though, is that the New Zealand work is often sensationally good."

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